Skate wheel



Patented Dec. 10, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADOLPH H. FRITZ, OF LITCHFIELD, AND ERNEST J'. PARDON, OF TORRINGTON, CON- NCTICUT, ASSIGNORS TO UNION HARDWARE COMPANY, OF TORRINGTON, CON- NECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT SKATE WHEEL Y' Application filed July 25,

This invention relates to roller bearing wheels, especially to skate wheels for ball bearing roller skates, and has for its object to provide a simple and efficient construction which is rugged and inexpensive to produce.

Another object is to provide such a wheel made entirely of stamped metal and provided with only a single row of balls.

Heretoi'ore, sheet metal parts have been suggested, in a skate Wheel having a single row of balls but the transmission of lateral thrusts has generally necessitated so heavy and expensive a construction that the double row of balls has been a more common type of skate Wheel. Under this invention, a strong construction is provided for a wheel having only Vthe single row of balls but constructed entirely of sheet metal.

According to this invention, a double thickness of sheet metal is provided on all sides of the outer ball race as well as centrally of the inner'ball race. Specilically, opposite telescopic members enclose a single row of balls laterally and on the outside, and thesemembers are in turn enclosed by a symmetrical cup shaped members constituting the wheel shellor body portion. The inner ball race comprises contiguous cones held together by an expanded split sleeve.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a section through a skate wheel embodying this invention. y Fig. 2 is a side view of the skate wheel. Fig. 3 is an exploded view showing the parts making up the wheel.

The inner ball race comprises a tubular member including the cones 10 and 11 which are held in the position shown, with their ends contiguous, by the expanded split sleeve 1,2.

' The seam between the contiguous cone edges may or may not be smoothed by soldering or welding, to lessen friction and wear on the balls. The outer ball race comprises the cup shaped members 13 and 14, whichare of a size' to oppositely telescope, as shown in Fig.

1. rI"hese cup shaped members are held to-v gethr by the symmetrical cup shaped memberszl and 16 constituting the shell or body portion of the wheel and substantially en` closing the members 13 and 14. The edge ot 1928. Serial N0. 295,136.

the shell kmember 15 is bent over at 17 to retain the cooperating or telescope shell portien 16 in position, clamping'the inner cup members 13 and 14 together.

Each of the inner bearing members 10 and 11 may conveniently be formed ot' a steel tubingl section compressed endwise so that it bulges outwardly at the centre.

"l'lie central member 12 is preferably a tube formed et sheet metal and has its ends upset or bent over at 18 and 19 to hold the bearings in place. i

The parts of the outer bearing members may be assen'iblediirst and then the balls inserted and the cones 10 and 11 inserted from opposite sides and secured together by the tube or sleeve 12. The webs 16 and 2O may be secured together by riveting or welding.

Or it' may be found desirable to assemble the parts of the inner ball race, then bring one of the shell members and its contiguous outer ball race portion into place around the inner race or hub part, place the balls in position and then put the cooperating outer ball race member in position and finally bring the cooperating shell members in place.

An advantage otthis construction will be seen to reside in the double walled construction ot' the outer ball race, whereby the met-al parts constituting this race will not be likely to spread when in use. Any lateral thrust is then transmitted to the cones 10 andill and to the sleeve 12 through its upsetends 18 and 19. Another desirabley feature of this construction is the location of the webs of the shell members in substantial alignment with the center of the balls so'that this member.

two sheet metal walls on each side Vand on t-he outside of said balls, and an inner ball race comprising at least two thicknesses of Vsheet metal inside the balls and centrally thereof.

2. Av skate wheel comprising two shell members having a tread, coacting webs re- Cal inforcing each other and spaced flanges for an outer ball race, and an inner bearing comprising a pair of upset tubular cone members and an interior reinforcing and connecting sleeve .together with a s ingle'row of balls mounted between said cone. members and said flanges.

3. A skate Wheel comprising a tubular member having inner bearing cones secured thereon. and with a single ball race around the central part, tWo cup-shaped outer bear ing members having telescoping flanges, balls arranged in said ball race between said outer bearing members, and two Outer shell members having flanges reinforcing said outer bearing members and one of said Lshell members having a tread portion interlocked with the outer edge of' tbe other shell member.

4. A Wheel comprising .two shell members ha 7ing telescoping peripheral flanges and vslmced inner flanges, bearing `cups secured between Said inner flanges and having telescoping flanges, an inner bearing comprising tubular members having aV ball race between them, balls in said race between said bearing cups, and means for securing said tubular members together.

5. A skate Wheel comprising a shell having telescopic cupshaped members provided with outer overlappingflanges forming a tread portion and inner flanges lforming a housing, cup shaped members mounted on said housing and having .overlapping lateral flanges, said latter cup shaped members forming the outer ball race, a tubular member passing thro-ugh said cup shaped members, a pair of expansible vcone members mounted on said .formed with bulges 'midway their length 'forming the inner ball race, balls in said race and a flange formed on the out-er ends .of said tubular member, the inner ends of said sleeves abutting against each othera and the outer ends abutting against said flanges.

, 7. A ball bearing wheel comprising a eentral sleeve, a pair .of `upset tubular cone members7 each having its ends supported .on said sleeve and having a ball race between them, aseries .of balls in said ball race and outer bearing .members enclos-,ing said balls..

8. A ball bea-ring Wh'eelcomprising a een- A tral supporting member, separate upset v,sheet Cil 

